Amazon Studios so far has focused on bringing a little culture to the world of exclusive video streaming.
In addition to its original content, Amazon has made a name for itself in purchasing acclaimed art-house projects that nabbed accolades at venues such as the Sundance Film Festival in the hopes of luring viewers to Prime Video with them.
Now, though, Amazon is chiefly going for the sweet cash flow associated with blockbusters, according to a new report from Reuters.
Before, the company preferred to acquire award-winning shows like Manchester by the Sea and The Big Sick for exclusive distribution, but now a source familiar with the company's plans says it wants to "go after films with budgets in the $50 million range at the expense of indie projects costing around $5 million."
Hints of this overall shift have been dropping often recently, particularly in the context of Amazon's own TV series.
The latest news comes only a day, for instance, after word dropped that Amazon had cancelled critically acclaimed shows One Mississippi, I Love Dick and Jean-Claude Van Johnson as part of an effort to fund big-budget shows that could capture massive audiences (and revenue) like HBO's Game of Thrones.
Amazon has already made strides in that direction, in fact, as we recently learned that the company is planning on releasing a big-budget series set in the Lord of the Rings universe.
Not everything changes
Fortunately, Amazon's shift doesn't mean that the company is entirely distancing itself from all existing projects, as the company also recently announced that it's renewing The Tick for a second season.
Staff changes also played a role in the decision. Amazon's previous emphasis on art-house productions chiefly came about through the efforts of longtime Amazon Studios chief Roy Price, who was ousted last year following reports of sexual harassment.
- Check out our list of 2018's best Amazon Prime TV shows
